FOXBOROUGH – The last time we saw Sebastian Vollmer he was down on the Gillette Stadium turf, withering in pain.

That was in October, and Miami’s Max Starks had just rolled over the New England Patriots right tackle’s right leg. Vollmer’s leg then bent out to the side, and kept going until it finally snapped. He immediately began screaming, and then the cart came out, taking Vollmer down a dark hallway. He did not see the field again.

It was a scary moment.

“I mean, not to explain too much, but anytime you get hurt it’s not a good thing,” Vollmer said. “You don’t really know what’s happening to yourself and take it step by step.”

So it is a good sign that Vollmer has been back out on the field during organized team activities, and has been going through the full slate of activities. He says that things are going well for him, but it remains a process and he does not want to get ahead of himself.

The last time Vollmer was out on the field for a practice, the fiery Dante Scarnecchia was coaching the lineman. Scarnecchia, however, retired this offseason and has since been replaced by Dave DeGuglielmo.

Others have noted that the two coaches have distinctly different coaching styles, with DeGuglielmo having a more “in your face” style. Vollmer has enjoyed having a new voice coaching him, but noted that the transition remains ongoing.

“It’s like playing with a new player. A little bit of a change,” Vollmer said. “That’s why we’re doing this – getting used to each other. He’s coaching us hard and trying to get better.”

But, really, any voice could be directing the offensive line and Vollmer would be happy to hear it after missing so much time.

“Yeah. Whenever you get hurt or miss some games, you’re excited to be back,” Vollmer said. “You know, you go through rehab and try to get your body right and doing this. It’s definitely exciting for me.”